The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-11-05
Inventor of Volcpnk, the Now Univcrsnl
T#.g 800. I,nnpunre. 10 Z .HIa.

Inventor Of volepnk, the Now Universal
3fs.s; Language. .4,.. =
The venerable man Of whom we give a
portrait, will DO better known to posterity
than no is to his contemporaries, as the
inventor OF VolApuk, tho universal Ian.
suagc, first published in the year 1880.
John Martin schleyer is scholar and d
lsnyuist OF some celebrity. He was born
in the grand Duchy Of Baden III 1S4l, and
Ia not 80 old man as no looks. Hio In.
yention OF Volapuk was q great intellect.
ua feat. Thla universal language has
gained firm footing In Germany, Swift.
zerlaud, Holland, Hungary, Italy, France,
Sweden, and especially In Australia and in
Syria and Arabia, having been introduced
also into Russia (south), America, Asia,
and the north OF Africa. 1t has vocabu.
larry Of 1900 words. These, arc printed
with the grammar. When a few months
ago, the Volapukis.H held their grand in.
ternational congress at munich, most
OF the countIieB OF Europe sent
Representatives. Tho good reputo OF
America for enlightened curiosity was
esved by one gentleman from Cincinnati.
Herr schleyer, tho inventor OF the Ian.
leuage, took the chair in the name OF the
association Of France. He explained that
Volapuk was not meant to euppsesa other
tongues, but only to aupply new one for
1.-The common purposes Of all mankind,
and in particular for the promotion oil
universal brotherhood. The inventor
hopes to induce the German government
to admit Voapuk.to the list OF languages
transm;ssable by telegraph within the
empire. In Denmark 1t has bsen officially
Recommended to telegraph clerks as 0
subject OF study. The knowledge Of 1t
spresds rapidly in France. According to
the prospectus OF the Folapuk-Almanach
for 1888, there are in Germany and Aus.
tria alone some twenty thousand amateurs
or masters OF this eighty.ycar-old world
Language"
| Volapuk mecns worlds speech, vol
meaning world, and puk, epeech. The
language consists OF the best OF over
twenty tongues, emitting their Irregular.
ties. The most Ia taken from the English
language, the others being represented
according to their importance. The pro.
nunciation is arranged to be easy for all
nations; the letter If" therefore, is sell
dom used. II that letter 10 contained in
English wordz when brought into olspuk,
1t is changed 10 l.. All the letters ara
English. The consouants are pronounced
as in Engliah, and the vowels like Span
ish. Every word is spelled Theoretically,
there being no client lettero. The rules
Of the Volspuk grammar have no excep.
ton. It even goes 80 far that plurals
from the pronoun I (ob) are formed regu.
larry by adding an (obs), the same way
as with every noun. Adjectives and verbs
can be formed from every noun by adding
the syllables six" or "on." Certain sylla-
BILE are used to cave memorizing large
vocabulary; an instance is the syllable
ale" which when prefxed to any word,
expresses the ssmo general idea in a larger
degree. House in Volapuk is "dom."
The prefix giyee the word "ledom" mean.
ing palace. The syllable ''lu" prefxed to
a word denotes tho same idea in smaller
senee. Using the same example, sludom"
Ia cottage. These two syllab!es alone ssve
the memorizing Of one hundred words.
Out OF classification OF nine hundred
words 1t is necesssry to memories but
three hundred and two syllables. .Volapuk
is so arranged that in translation all
peculisriiies Of ntyle are retained. To one
accustomed to the eound Of the langusse
1t seems strange, hut its harmony grows
upon the ear. Tho whole grammar is
contained in four small pages.